


Helping Hands

by Vanamiya



Category: Sengoku Basara
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-04-22 23:45:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19139266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vanamiya/pseuds/Vanamiya
Summary: Kanbei's shackles are more than they appear. Oichi tries to help.





	Helping Hands

**Author's Note:**

> This little blurb of a fic is for my good friend Key! She gave me some of my enthusiasm for Sengoku Basara back and also inspired me to write this.
> 
> Oichi and Kanbei could be such cute friends, guys. I'm telling you.

The demon queen enjoyed sitting outside at night. Or, perhaps, it wasn't so much enjoying it as that she dreaded the light of day. The night was gentle to her. Amidst a field of spider lilies and bathed in pale moonlight, she could pretend to sleep. The sun would only remind her of the cruel fate of those she had held dear.  
  
Kanbei could relate. A little. Maybe. He was also used to the darkness but the kind found in a musty tunnel, only chased away by flickering torchlight. The air on this mountain was crisp and smelled of flowers. Not the worst place to be, in his book.  
  
Besides, she had seemed lonely and the bird he was looking for, well, it would have to rest at some point, too. And then he would catch up to it. At any rate, he was definitely better company than those lunatics further down that kept shouting about making her the ruler of the world. This woman needed a break.  
  
Now Kanbei wasn't quite sure what to do next. She had invited him to stay with her because she pitied him – at least someone did – but now all he did was standing awkwardly at the edge of the lily field. He didn't want to trample the poor flowers.  
  
Oblivious to his inner turmoil, she beckoned him closer with a spindly thin and snow white hand. Were they even feeding her enough? He felt like he should have brought a picnic basket perhaps but then again he doubted she would enjoy his simple meals much.  
  
“Come closer, let me take a look at you.”  
  
Even her voice sounded like she wasn't quite sure if she was awake or dreaming. Kanbei was starting to doubt himself, too, but shook that thought out of his head. He did not want to find out what would happen if she started thinking he was rude. This was still Oda Nobunaga's sister, after all. She had to be powerful.  
  
“Yes, ma'am.” He did his best to step inbetween the dainty flowers but those that weren't trampled by his feet were flattened as soon as the ball on his chain dragged over them. Sighing and giving up on his attempt at delicacy, he plopped down next to her, keeping a little distance.  
  
That distance was soon crossed by her, reaching out to him and brushing his hair aside. He flinched back, not used to such sudden contact, by a stranger no less. But she didn't want to hurt hm it seemed. It was still a little weird and he couldn't bring himself to look at her directly. Her eyes were as black as a starless night and if that wasn't creepy, he didn't know what was.  
  
“Ah, I see. I see the pain in you.” Her hand left his face just for her to place it on his shackles. “This wood was infused with a dark power. That's why you can't break it and need the key.”  
  
“Huh? Oh uh, yeah. I figured it must have been something like that. My men couldn't break me free, no matter what they did.”  
  
Kanbei finally looked up at her again and there was a dark aura surrounding her. It looked dangerous but calm. He swallowed. Had he stepped into a trap? She was still making no move to attack him though.  
  
“I don't know where your bird is. But maybe I can help you. I, too, possess some... dark powers.” The ground turned black. From within it emerged hands that looked like they were made of the thickest ink. Kanbei made a most undignified noise and was glad his army wasn't here to hear him. The hands hung over him like demons, spindly long fingers ending in sharp claws and dripping liquid smoke. Perhaps he should have anticipated that the demon queen's powers were something like that and turned around as soon as he had heard the crazy chants of her devoted followers. But it was too late now.  
  
But the hands did not grab him and shake him about or pop him like a pimple like he had originally feared. In fact they did nothing, passive like their master. Speaking of which, she still had her hand on his shackles and was doing... something to them. Kanbei had been too preoccupied by the creepy murder claws to pay any attention to it but now he saw that she was infusing her energy into the wood. And the wood, he wouldn't believe it if he weren't seeing it right now, was fighting back. This was Yoshitsugu's spell, no doubt about it. And if she was stronger than it, then maybe.... maybe...  
  
He would finally be free?  


* * *

   
“So, uh, boss? Not to question any of your decisions or anything but... this is a little...”  
  
“I don't wanna hear it.”  
  
Kanbei was not in a good mood. A cloud of gloom hung over him and his men's concerns would only make it worse. He stared down at his shackles. The two black hands emerging from the wood gave him a small wave. They looked like small replicas of Oichi's own and they almost seemed happy, if weird demon arms could even be happy.  
  
Oichi had not managed to break the spell but she had given him these as a parting gift. Now if only she had also told him how to control these things because they kept prodding him and insisted on feeding him during mealtime. He could do that himself! And besides, it was embarrassing!  
  
But, knowing his luck, he probably shouldn't even be surprised at this point. Maybe they would scratch his back for him if he asked nicely.


End file.
